Using Notes 6x - how to copy Notes Email settings

Rob HutchinsonDesktop Support Specialist
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For Desktop Techs:

How to retain a user's Notes configuration data when swapping out the end user's computer.

(Assuming that you are not upgrading to a completely different version of Notes client)

All you need to do is:
1) install Notes on the new computer
2) rename the C:\Notes\Data folder to something like C:\Notes\Factory-Data
3) rename the .ini files in the C:\Notes folder. There should be about four .ini files.
I usually rename these from:
formats.ini, keyview.ini, notestat.ini, and notes.ini
to: factory-formats.ini, factory-keyview.ini, factory-notestat.ini, and factory-notes.ini

The first three rarely change if at all, but the most important one is notes.ini

Once you have the Data folder and the four .ini files renamed( I rename them as opposed to overwriting or deleting in case you have to revert back to the factory folders) you can copy over the user's old Data folder under their old Notes folder( C:\Notes\Data). You will also want to copy over the user's old .ini files with the same name as the ones we just renamed.

Now for the most part this is all you need to do--but there are some preliminary tips you should follow before attempting to login into Notes using the user's Notes login:
1) Edit the notes.ini file
a) make sure that each line is a valid line. This means that this .ini text file sometimes becomes corrupt so that half of one line get duplicated as a new line. For example, some lines start out with part of a word, or part of a date, such as, "2009 11:15:47 AM" this came from my existing notes ini file from the computer I'm using right now. The line below this line is "SU_NEXT_UPDATE=11/14/2009 11:24:46 AM" so you can see that the line, "2009 11:15:47 AM" does not make any sense at all...so delete any lines that are bogus lines like this.

b) Delete any reference to any temp folders, such as:
SU_FILE_CLEANUP=C:\DOCUME~1\JoeUser\LOCALS~1\Temp\smkits
change this line to just:
SU_FILE_CLEANUP=

You might also want to remove references to programs that are not yet installed on the new computer as not removing these references can cause Notes to hang when logging in the first time.
For example:
AddInMenus = <insert old local path to Adobe Acrobat>
so change this to just:
AddInMenus =

2) The other thing you might want to do is to make sure you only attempt to run Notes after you have logged into Windows using the users login and restoring all the user's network mapped drives as well as data folders.
The reason for this is if there are any refrenced locations in the Notes.ini file that point to a mapped drive or possibly to a folder with the user's Notes archive files, etc.; you will want Notes to have access to the same locations as before running Notes the first time.

For example, these lines were taken from a Notes.ini file:
Directory=C:\Notes\Data
FileDlgDirectory=C:\Documents and Settings\JoeUser\Desktop
MailFile=mail4\JoeUser.nsf
SPELL_DIR=C:\Notes\Data

So you can see that those are obviously on the local drive, but sometimes they might point to another drive if their location has been modified from the default.

Hope this helps!
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Rob HutchinsonDesktop Support Specialist
CERTIFIED EXPERT
Current strengths are Office 365 and Dell laptops: 7450, 7470, 7490, 5410/5420
https://www.linkedin.com/in/getlinkedwithrobhutchinson/

Comments (1)

Hi,
      Install new lotus Notes in the same location of another PC. Then Copy Desktop6.ntf, Notes.ini, ID and Bookmarks.ntf Files in to the new lotus Notes to a respected Locations.

It will work Automatically.

Please check and Reply.

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